Getting help can be intimidating. We're here to make your visit as comfortable as possible. Here's what to expect during your first visit with our clinical team. Still have questions? We'd be happy to help.
Each appointment is divided into four parts.
- The Intake - Once you have booked your appointment, you will immediately receive a confirmation email from our booking software, Jane. In this email there will be a link to our online intake form. This form may take 10-15 minutes to complete and aims to gather contact information as well as your medical history.
- The History - The health history involves a lengthy review of your current condition, lifestyle and past medical history. If we've worked together before, this involves a review of how your condition has progressed since our last visit.
Gotten better? Gotten worse? Stayed the same? All of this information is vital in continuing to guide how we manage your case.
- The physical exam - By the time your history is done, we should have an accurate picture of what is going on, narrowing our diagnosis down to two or three things. This list is then further narrowed down through the physical exam.
During the physical exam, the clinician and the patient work together to figure out what makes your symptoms worse and what makes it better. This can be achieved through assessing range of motion, aggravating movements or positions, positions of relief (things that make you feel better), and a host of other specific diagnostic manoeuvres.
These tests help to increase our confidence in your diagnosis while also helping to guide how to best manage your symptoms.
- Treatment and management - So we've done our history and our guided physical exam. By now we should have a good idea of what the issue is and how we can create a plan for you to recover. After a detailed discussion of all the possible options including risks and alternatives, with your consent, we start to build your plan of management. This may also include hands-on treatment during your first visit.
